Smart Car debuts in West Michigan

Chronicle News Service/Lance WynnStuart Berman drives east on 44th SE in his new Smart Fortwo after showing it to fellow Steelcase employees.

Chronicle News Service/Lance WynnStuart Berman, third from the left, shows off his new smart fortwo car to fellow Steelcase employees Randy Moon, left, Troy Carr, second from left, and Jim Horvath, in the car, at the Steelcase Global Headquarters Thursday.

Now, Berman is beaming as the first West Michigan owner of a smart fortwo, commonly called a smart car, a two-seater just introduced into the U.S. market this month.
GRAND RAPIDS -- When Stuart Berman first laid eyes on the wee urban car in Europe, he thought the vehicle -- smart fortwo -- looked a little weird. But he soon warmed to the tiny transport.

His yellow and silver ride is the 12th sold by the Bloomfield Hills dealer, the only source in the state. He'd have gotten it even sooner if he hadn't been around the world when his new wheels landed in Michigan.

"I was actually in China last week when I got the call," said Berman, a computer security specialist for Steelcase Inc. He had to wait until Wednesday to finally bring the new baby home.

"It's fantastic," the enthusiast effused, after his drive from the Detroit-area dealership took it through snow, salt, and slippery highways.

"It just held the road really well," Berman said. On Thursday, he took his son to school in East Grand Rapids then traveled a few snow-packed side streets to further test the traction prowess of the little vehicle. As a city car, it passed on all fronts.

"On a long drive, it's not a Lexus, so it's not a real floaty comfy ride," Berman said. "But for around town, it's going to be fantastic."

Later, at work at Steelcase headquarters, he offered to take a couple of co-workers down to the parking lot to see his new wheels.

"The next thing you know, we've got 30 people following me," Berman said, laughing.

What they found was a bright yellow and silver "bug" with black interior, 12 inches shorter than its six-foot-tall owner.

"We saw them in Germany a lot, and in France," Berman said. "I've been looking around for years about how I might get one." He bought the mid-line "passion" model that lists at $13,590. Add heated leather seats, rain-sensing wipers, a super sound system, auto-on headlights, optional five-year warranty, taxes and fees, and the bantam transport totaled $18,000.

The urban vehicle will tuck in nicely next to the family minivan, Berman said. His garage was too narrow for two full-size cars. If his yellow smart car is feeling lonely, it will soon have companions on the streets of West Michigan. A friend in East Grand Rapids plans to pick up her red smart car this weekend, and several of his co-workers at Steelcase have their orders in as well.

Now that the smart car is selling stateside, orders are backed up a year or more, Berman said. He hopes to eventually launch a West Michigan enthusiasts' club.

"This thing is going to be like the VW bug was in its day," he said. "It's the right car at the right time."